Improvement in music-leaf turners



'6. S. RIGKARD.

Music-Leaf Turners.

Patented Sept. 29,1874.

UNITED STATES PATENT DEEICE.

GEORGE S. RIOKARD, OF WOONSOOKET, RHODE ISLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN MUSIC-LEAF TURNERS.

Speeiiieation forming part of Letters Patent No. 155,462, dated September 2.9, 1874 application filed July 2, i874.

To all whom tt may concern:

Beit known that I, GEORGE S. RICK/inn, of VVoonsoeket, oi' the county oil Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful machine for turning over suc` cessively the leaves of a music or other book; and I do hereby decla-re the same to be fully described in the following specitication and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure l is a front elevation, and Fig. 2 is a transverse section, of the machine as open and applied to a music-stand.

rIhe machine is to enable leaves of music to be successively turned over, as a performer may require, without the necessity of his do ing such by hand while playing upon a pianoforte, organ, or other musical instrument, the machine doing the same automatically.

In the drawings, A denotes a box or case provided with a cover, I3, connected to the body by hinges a a, and having applied to one edge, by any suitable means, a book or series of sheets of music, such being shown at O. This box, fastened to the music-stand l), has arranged alongside of it, as shown, and iixed to the stand, a cushion, E. A series ol' wires or arms, F, bent as represented, rest on the cushion and extend upward into the box, and are pivoted therein, so as to enable such to be turned through an are of two right angles, or thereabout. Each wire or arm,where within the box A, is provided with a spiral spring, b, like the mainspring of a watch, such spring being flattened at its inner end to the wire and coiled around it, the outer end ot' the spring being secured to the case.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken through the several springs.

rlurning the wire or arm from left to right one hundred and eighty degrees coils or sets up the spring. v

Above the spring of each wire there is iixed to the wire a catch-cam, c, (seo Fig. 4,) which is a section taken through the series ot' catch cams. With the several catch-cams a series of bent levers, d, is arranged, as shown, each lever being pivoted to the case or to a supportbar, e, arranged therein. rlhe movements of the levers in one direction are limited by stops j', each lever being provided with a spring, g,

to force it toward its stop. Over the series of levers is a ratchet-wheel, h, which in this instance has its teeth formed upon one side oi' it. In this instance there are three times the num ber ot' teeth as levers, and there are also three teeth, t' t' t', projecting at equal distances apart from the periphery of the wheel, and in the place ofthe several levers. This ratchet-wheel turns freely on a stationary spindle, 7c, upon which there is pivoted a lever, Z, provided with a click or impelling pawl, m, to actuate the wheel. Stops m a projecting from the bottom of the box, as shown, determine the extent of movement of the lever. A spring, o, iixed to the box and arranged against a stud, p, projectingi'rom the lever, serves to raise the longer arm of the lever to the upper stop m. From the stud p a line, i", extends down to a pedal, q,= or a slide, 1'",- arranged as represented.

In order to use the abovedescribed machine, the cover being supposed to be closed down and the back or series of leaves of music turned over upon the cover, we first should turn back from oii' the cushion one hundred and eighty degrees, or thereabout, the iirst or outermost wire or arm, and next turn back over it the first or uppermost leaf. lhile so moving the arm its catch-cam will be moved against its lever d and will move it on its fulcrum until the lever may pass the end of the cam, when the spring oi' the lever will move the lever so as to cause it to move on the cam and hold the bent arm back in its rearmost position. IVe should continue to turn back the levers and leaves of music successively, after which, in order to turn the several leaves forward one after another, we have only to successively depress the pedal, the spring o serving to elevate it in the meanwhile, as may be required. The arms will pass free of the leaves and successively bring up against or upon the cushion.

Wh en the pedal is forced downward the ratchet-wheel will be turned so as to carry one of its peripheral teeth against one of the catch-levers, and move it so as to set free the catch-cam and allow the arm or wire thereof to be turned forward by its spiral sprinO.

I claiml. The musieleaf turner, substantially as described, composed of the series of bent arms F and their operative mechanism, consisting of the springs 1;,ealteh-eams c, levers d, springs g, tothed 1atcl1et-\vheel h, lever Z, pawl m, and g, toothed ratchet-Wheel h, lever l, pmvl m, and spring p, combined, constructed, and arranged spring y, all Constructed, arranged, and comessentizrlly as setforth and explained.

bined essentially in manner as and for the purposes set forth GEORGE S. RICKARD.

2. The combination of devices for operating Witnesses: the series of bent arms E, such consisting of E. H. EDDY,

the springs Z1, catch-cams c, levers d, springs J. E. SNOW.. 

